Fleetwood Town International Football Academy Programme Manager Mick Horsfall has recently returned from Fleetwood Town’s first ever visit into Nigeria, meeting young aspiring footballers and putting Town on the map.
The Talent ID set up with our Nigeria partner agent was designed to support young players being identified for future opportunities in football under the Fleetwood Group.
Accompanying Mick on the trip was the FTIFA South Africa coach Xolela Ndude - who works with the First Team at Hout Bay FC in Cape Town.
The week-long training camp provided the players from across the Port Harcourt area of Nigeria, well known for its Oil and Gas industry, with a place to showcase their skills and football ability to coaches.
The facility accessed by the event organisers was one of the best in the region, with Shell Oil hosting the camps throughout the week.
Programme Manager, Mick Horsfall said on the trip: “It was a real honour to represent Fleetwood in Nigeria. We have previously had Nigerian players attend our programmes in the U.K, so we know the talent is there.
“It was great to see the quality and potential of the group we worked with. The style of play is very British at semi-pro level. It’s very physical, lots of big tackles and lots of individual quality.
“With the right coaching and game intelligence, many of these players would be close to the pro levels in the United Kingdom. The opportunity to introduce our programs and pathways we have at FTIFA was an important part of our visit.”
Any players globally who would like to join one of our programs please go to our website at FTIFA Global.
Whilst in Nigeria, Mick and FTIFA were lucky to have full access to a high-level pitch and training accessories to ensure a varied coaching programme.
Not only did the players benefit from FTIFA’s presence in Nigeria, the group also worked with local coaches to support their development and upskill them on practice design and session delivery.
The programme was a huge success and there are already plans in place to schedule the next event as well as discussion on a FTIFA Nigeria Satellite centre to allow players the opportunity for enhance coaching and direct paths into FTIFA Global programs.
Horsfall added: “We have set a foundation now, which with the relationship building and trust can only improve the opportunities and ambitions of the Nigerian players!
“It was an amazing experience in both a coaching capacity and life experience to visit Nigeria. This is a great start to future partnerships.”
Fleetwood Town FC would like to thank our Nigerian Agent and Host Godwin Onugha.
His commitment and passion to drive Fleetwood Town FC into the hearts and minds of the people in the country is massively appreciated.
Not only is there this camp, but prior to FTIFA’s arrival in Nigeria, a FTFC Supporters Group has been set up and there have been regular podcasts which have included our own CEO, Steve Curwood.
